Mass Effect: Milieu

Summary: Milieu: the surroundings or environment that somebody lives in and is influenced by. The Normandy carries more than just soldiers. It carries, hope, friendship, love and despair of the entire galaxy.

Next Time, Wake Me

Shepard had been rereading the same line for the last hour. The words just refused to compute. Sighing, she pushed away from her desk. Standing, she turned toward the door of her cabin. She threw a glance over her shoulder at the piles of discarded reports. Reports from Earth, the Citadel, Pavelan, Rannoch…the list of causalities kept piling up like dried leaves in autumn there were too many to count, the numbers just went on and on. Her head pounded. She needed a drink and a back rub. But that wasn't likely to happen anytime soon.

The rustled mutter of cotton against cotton caused her eyes to flit beyond the mess on her desk, pass the glass casing of her model ships to the lower sanctuary of her cabin. Kaidan was still in bed.

He laid on his left side wrapped up in the covers. His olive colored skin a stark contrast to the creamy color of the sheets, his face was soft and relaxed. The worry lines Shepard had noticed gathering around his eyes and at the corner of his lips were smooth, virtually non-existent while he slept. Her heart contracted painfully. She had no doubt she had placed a few of those lines on his face, as clearly as if she had taken a marker and drawn them on herself. But seeing him relaxed and sleeping soundly, knowing she was responsible for that as well made her heart untwist itself. She had no illusions. She would give him what little peace she could. They didn't have that too often. Kaidan deserved to sleep just a little longer. She could at least bring him some tranquility.

She turned back toward the door, a smile spreading across her face. She could at least say one person in the galaxy was peaceful, content and safe for the next few minutes. Yes, she would let Kaidan have that before she plunged him back into the turmoil of the galaxy.Shepard sipped at her coffee watching as the mess hall slowly filled up with off-duty soldiers. Her eyes scanned the throngs of people waiting in line to grab breakfast and coffee before their next shift started. The coffee she sipped was delightfully warm in her hands. She was a people watcher. She liked to just sit back and listen. It was a hidden talent. Sometimes one could learn a lot from a person by just watching them.

"So next shore-leave, Johnston. You and me?" Isaacs asked of a pretty little dark featured woman, Corporal Johnston, who had taken the seat next to him, about five seats down from their CO.

Shepard tried to hide her smile. Regulations were regulations, but right at the moment with the end of the galaxy hanging above everyone's heads...she couldn't blame them, nor would she.

Technically, she was breaking Regs too. Or maybe it was had broken. She wasn't certain of the blurred lines at the moment. She was a Spectre and so was Kaidan, though he was a Major and she a Commander. If she was being completely honest, he wasn't here by full Alliance authority. Sure Kaidan had told Admiral Hackett he would be working with her, and Kaidan was a Spectre his first priority was to the safety of the Council faring races...galactic peace was their top priority.

Yeah, screw Regs. She wasn't missing out on being with him again just to appease the Alliance Brass. It was war. AND war was insane. She needed her sanity check every once in a while.

She took another sip of coffee and continued her observing. Strange thing was she felt somewhat relaxed. The crew would nod in her direction as they walked by, some even threw a smile her way as they entered the mess hall. She smiled or nodded back. Letting them know she appreciated their acknowledgments.

A hand clapped down on her shoulder. She forced herself not to jump as she tilted her head to see who…Kaidan slid into the seat next to hers. A smile splayed across his lips. Her eyes narrowed, but the grin twitching at the corners of mouth gave her away.

"Shepard, you let me sleep in," he paused removing his hand from her shoulder. She suddenly missed the firm grip. "Again." He whispered brushing his fingers down her arm. His touch sent goose-bumps cascading down her arms.

Shrugging, she looked down at her coffee mug. It was empty. "I didn't have the heart to wake you. You looked so peaceful, so content."

Kaidan's eyes followed her gaze. He gingerly took the mug from her hands. Standing up again, he leaned forward slightly his breath tickling her ear. "Next time, wake me." The soft huskiness of his voice rolled suggestive Regulation breaking thoughts through her mind. Her cheeks warmed.

"Is that an order, Major?" She teased keeping her eyes focused straight ahead.

"No, just a simple request." He moved away taking her mug with him. Shepard watched as he grabbed another mug for himself and poured two cups of coffee. Walking back over he set her mug full once again in front of her. She took it and sipped gratefully. The liquid warmed her tongue and throat. The bitter concoction danced across her tongue and played within her blood.

Kaidan sat back down next to her. His knee pressed lightly into hers under the table. It was the subtle hints she loved most. His silent reassurances were all she needed sometimes just to get through the day. The remainder of breakfast passed in companionable silence. Something, Shepard greatly loved and appreciated.

Hudson:
Your story was fantastic Erin! The Rising Sun was one of the first stories I read on Inkitt, and I have to say I don't regret the three to four days I spent pouring through the story.Probably the biggest strength I see in your writing is your characterisation of Eliana, Oriens, and the rest of th...

Flik:
Hi! ^.^ huge fan of yours on ff.net! When I saw the note about this contest on The Way We Smile, I couldn't help but rush over here, create an account, and vote! XD Seriously love this story and would recommend it to anyone! :D best FT fanfiction out there. Amazing story, amazing concept that wa...

Schaelz:
I was intrigued from the second I started reading, and it kept my interest the whole way through. Chelsea has a way with words that will enchant you until the very end. She is very poetic with the way she mixes genres and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The main character is also very relat...

Hawkebat:
Playing both Kotor I & II and Swtor I found the story line interesting and it held me until chapter 35 Very good story and plot flow until then, very few technical errors. I felt that the main character was a bit under and over powered, as it fought for balance. The last few chapters felt too f...

Alex Rushmer:
This was not what I expected, but I enjoyed it a lot Malfoy was always one of the characters that I liked a lot, so I like that a lot of this happens between him and Colette. I read the first couple chapters, and I enjoyed your writing style and am excited to see where you take this story. My com...

Jenn Deering:
This is a go-to story for when you're needing a little happiness in your life. It's well-crafted, and characters are true to their show-selves. The pace is right, there are minimal grammatical errors, and the plot is fresh.

Alex Reltin:
This is a great story! I love how well you go into detail and emotions of Capri, and Mel. You have amazing dialogue and overall it's just a thrill to read!The only critique I could find is that some of the paragraphs should be separated. For example:-"If Nia would have just let me take the car an...

Jean Tryon:
As a beta, I found this story outstanding!! Plot, grammar, phraseology, etc Rachel gives us it all. She takes the story into the future from where due South ends. She is an exacting and thoughtful author.

Animeviewer:
It is one of the best stories I've ever read. This story will have you riding a roller coaster of emotions and nearly dying to know what happens next.You will get very attached to the characters and in my case I relate well with some of their very traumatic or emotional experiences, Just Juliet f...

Sandra Estrada:
I loved every minute of it and I thank my lucky stars that brought me to the story, it's been a whirlwind of emotions, plot twist after plot twist but I never got tired of them. Abby and Kade's story is a hard one to understand but once you're submerged in their story and love, you can't help but...